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Barnard dark clouds B 68, B 72 and many others together with
Jupiter in the constellation Ophiuchus |
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Object description:
Our image shows a 2-part mosaic of some large dark
clouds in the constellation Ophiuchus together with the planet Jupiter. Image
orientation: north at the top and east at the left. Slightly left of the image
center is Barnard 72, the Snake Nebula.
In the Serpens lie numerous,
large dark clouds, which were first catalogued photographically by the American
astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard. The complete catalog of over 300 dark clouds
by Barnard
can be found at this URL. Barnard was self-taught and one
of the pioneers of astrophotography. In more recent times, detailed studies by
K. Dobashi in infrared light followed.
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Dark
clouds or dark nebulae are large collections of interstellar matter that either
absorb the light of stars behind them (e.g. the Coal Sack) or cover parts of
H-II regions or reflection nebulae (e.g. Barnard 33, the Horsehead Nebula in
the constellation Orion). The shape of such dark clouds is usually irregular
and without clearly defined outer boundaries. Many of the dark clouds have
proper names, such as the Snake Nebula or the Pipe Nebula.
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and a size comparison to the full moon. |
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All Images und all Content are ©
by Franz Hofmann + Wolfgang Paech |